LIST 1 .

NOUNS USED FOR NAMING BOTH COUNTABLES AND NON-COUNTABLES¹

adjustment argument balance birth care (e) 2 cause change color comparison crime danger death desire discussion disease distribution   doubt education effect error expansion fact fear feeling fiction form hope

impulse mind mist motion noise opinion pain polish (e) profit punishment purpose rest sense (e) size sleep song sound space talk taste (e) theory time trouble value war waste weight wind

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1 . See pages 56-57. this list does not include : (1) Nouns whose use in the two ways is either covered by a general rule (e.g. substance nouns) or produces two senses sufficiently distinct for one to be regarded as an expansion ; (2) words which have noun uses but are not among the listed Basic nouns. It is limited to nouns which in one use name a particular instance or occurrence of the activity, condition, and so on named in the other.
2 . Where the double use applies only to an expanded sense, this is indicated by '(e)".



LIST 2 .
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES ¹

1. ONLY WITH MORE and MOST

able (to)2 acid automatic   awake beautiful bent broken certain complete complex conscious

cut delicate dependent   different elastic equal fertile fixed foolish frequent general

ill important   left like material military mixed natural necessary normal open

physical political possible private probable public regular responsible rights

2 . PREFERABLY WITH -ER and -EST²

bright   cheap clean clear cold dark dear deep dry early fat flat great

hard high kind late long loose loud low narrow   new old poor quick

quiet rough round sad safe sharp short slow small soft stiff straight   strange

strong sweet tall thick thin tight true warm wet wide wise young

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1 . Among the adjectives listed here will be found a few which are not strictly comparable, because logically the quality or condition they name does not admit of degrees. They are, however, often used loosely in the comparative or superlative, frequently to give the sense of 'more (most) nearly' ; thus we may speak of more complete account meaning 'a more nearly complete one.' Only the adjectives very commonly used in this way are given.
2 . When not followed by to, able may equally well take -er , -est.
3. We do not include here bad and good, whose forms are irregular, although, as has been noted, these adjectives are never compared with more or most.



LIST 3 .
NOUNS WHICH TAKE -ER , -ING, AND -ED ENDINGS
200 GENERAL

act air answer attack attempt back balance base breath burn butter cause chalk chance change cloth coal color (colour) comfort condition control cook copper copy cork cough cover crack credit crush cry curve damage design desire detail disgust doubt dust edge effect end exchange experience fear fire flower fold force form

front glass grip group guide harbor (harbour) hate heat help hope humor (humour) ice increase link interest iron join journey judge jump kick kiss land laugh lead letter level lift light limit list took love machine mark market mass measure milk mine motion move name need note number offer oil order ornament

page pain paint paper part paste place plant play point poison polish powder price print produce profit protest pull purpose push question     rain range rate ray reason record regret request respect rest reward roll rub rule salt scale seat sense shade sham shock side sign silver slip slope smash smile

smoke sneeze snow soap sort sound space stage start steam steel step stitch stone stop stretch sugar support surprise talk taste tax test thunder time tin top touch trade transport trick trouble turn twist unit use value view voice walk wash waste water wave wax weather weight word work wound

100 PICTURED

arch arm band bath bed board bone book bottle box brain branch brick bridge brush button     cake cart chain circle cloud coat comb cord curtain

cushion drain dress drop eye face farm feather     finger fish floor fork frame garden glove hammer hand hat head hook house jewel key knife knot

line lock map mouth nail nerve net pen pencil picture pin pipe plane plate plow (plough)   pocket pot prison pump rail receipt ring roof root sail

school screw seed ship shoe skin skirt sponge square stamp star station store sun thread thumb ticket train wall watch wheel whip whistle wire worm




LIST 4 .
ADJECTIVES WHICH MAY TAKE THE PREFIX UN-

able automatic beautiful bent broken certain clean clear common complete (incomplete) complex conscious cut dependent (independent) elastic equal fertile fixed free frequent (infrequent) happy healthy important kind like living

married military mixed natural necessary normal open parallel physical political possible (impossible) probable (improbable) quiet ready regular (irregular) responsible (irresponsible) safe smooth solid straight sweet tired true wise


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